Pneumatic thread holder for weft replenishing looms



PNEUMATIC THREAD HOLDER FOR WEFT R PLENIsEING LOOMS Filed Dec. 15, 1951 INVENTOR RAYMOND F. DION llll W W@I W /I\ l E F I ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1953 PNEUMATIC THREAD HOLDER FOR WEF'I' REPLENISHING LOOMS Raymond F. Dion, Leominster, Mass., assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 15, 1951, Serial No. 261,867

17 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic thread holders for the threads or weft ends which extend from reserve bobbins in a weft replenishing loom.

Weft replenishing looms of the bobbin changing type ordinarily employ a, magazine holding a complement of reserve bobbins the threads or Weft ends of which lead to some form of thread holder. At the time of a bobbin changing operation a bobbin from the magazine is transferred into the depleted shuttle and when the latter is picked its new thread is held by the thread holder so that self-threading of the shuttle may be effected. At a later time in the loom operation this new thread is cut, generally near the selva-ge of the cloth being woven, and provision should be made for its removal to prevent it from being drawn into the warp shed where it would produce a fault in the fabric.

Pneumatic thread holders have been proposed heretofore but they have not ordinarily been made in a manner which permits simple introduction of the weft ends into the holder when the air and thread passage in the holder is more or less parallel to the direction in which the threads extend away from the magazine. It is an important object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic thread holder having an air and thread passage which extends in a generally horizontal direction toward and from the magazine and provide the holder with a thread slot through which the weft ends from bobbins inserted into the magazine may be passed into the stream of air in the thread holder.

Weft replenishing looms of the multicolor type frequently employ a stationary magazine having reserve bobbins arranged in vertical parallel groups and the Weft ends extend in groups toward some form of thread holder. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a, pneumatic thread holder made preferably with an air and thread passage extending toward and away from the magazine so that the weft ends can arrange themselves partly at the front of the passage and partly at the rear of the passage. By this arrangement a single jet of air can be made to tension groups of weft ends located on opposite sides of the axis of the passage.

It is a, further object of the invention to locate the thread slot intermediate the walls extending along the passage so that the threads from all of the stacks may be introduced through the slot into the thread holder and the threads can then distribute themselves to their respective walls 2 depending upon the part of the magazine in which their corresponding bobbins are located.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide the thread holder with a baffle or. the like which extends into the path of the stream of air to break its force beyond the thread holder so that the weft ends may fall by gravity and become entangled with or attached to each other. In this connection it is a further object to have the baffle curve forwardly from a point behind that end of the air passage remote from the magazine so that when fresh bobbins are placed in the magazine their weft ends may be introduced into the thread slot by a simple downward motion in front of the bafile.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example the embodiments of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loom having the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the thread holder looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 3-3, Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 4-4, Fig. 2, I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tubular thread holder member which receives the weft ends extending from the reserve bobbins shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bafile used in conjunction with the thread holder member shown in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the support and carrier for the thread holder member shown in Fig. 5,

Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrammatic views showing the manner in which weft ends of bobbins freshly inserted into the magazine may be manually moved sothat they can enter the air passage of the thread holder, and s Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic front elevation of the reserve bobbin magazine looking in the direction of arrow [0, Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 10, a weft replenishing loom 1 supports a reserve bobbin magazine M which in the present instance is of the multicolor type and carries reserve bobbins 2 which are arranged in front and back groups BI and B2, respectively, and have their axes substantially parallel and horizontal, see Fig. 10. Each bobbin has a thread or Weft end extending from it and the several weft ends are divided into two horizontally spaced groups W I and W2, the group WI corresponding to group Bl of bobbins in the forward part of the magazine, to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, and the group W2 corresponding to group B2 of bobbins in the rear part of the magazine. The loom is provided with a lay 3 which is reciprocated by a crank shaft 4 and has a shuttle box 5 for a self-threading shuttle S which when depleted and at the magazine end of the loom will be replenished by a bobbin drawn from the magazine.

' The shuttle is then picked and the thread attached to the freshly inserted bobbin, being connected to a thread holder designated generally at H, will be held so that the shuttle can thread itself automatically in its passage across the lay.

The crank shaft 4 may be driven by appropriate mechanism including a motor 6 having a pinion l to drive a gear 8 which is operatively connected to shaft 4 when the loom is operating. Gear 8 also drives an air pump 9 held in fixed position on a stand H! secured to the loom frame. This pump delivers compressed air to a hos H which extends forwardly to the thread holder.

The magazine includes in its construction front and back tie rods and i6, respectively, the latter of which has secured thereto a downwardly and outwardly extending arm H for the purpose of providing support for the thread holder.

Except as noted hereinafter with more particular reference to the thread holder H the mat-- ter thus far described may be of known construction and operates in the usual manner.

In carrying the invention into effect a support 2! is attached to the arm I! by a preferably horizontal bolt 2|. Support has a forwardly extending arm 22 which may be welded or otherwise secured to a carrier 23 of inverted U-shaped form as shown in Fig. '7. This carrier, made preferably of sheet metal, such as steel, has a preferably flat top 24 and depending spaced resilient wings 25 and 26 the latter of which as shown in Fig. 7 is secured to the arm 22.

Extending across and secured to the top 24 of the carrier is an elongated hollow thread holder member 30 which extends generally horizontally in a direction toward and from the magazine. In the present instance the member 3!! has front and back horizontally spaced walls 3! and 32, respectively, joined at their lower ends by a floor 33. Th top 34 of the member 30 is provided with a thread slot or pathway 35 which extends from end to end of the member 39. The

latter has an open end or intake mouth 36 adjacent to the magazine and another open end or discharge mouth 3! remote from the magazine. The member 33 has an air and thread passage 38 therein which connects with the mouths 36 and 31 and has an axis which is intermediate the front and back bobbin groups Bi and B2 and extends substantially horizontally in a direction toward and away from the magazine M and preferably parallel to the axes of the reserve bobbins. Passage 38 also communicates with pathway 35 and is connected by the latter and the open ends 36 and 31 to the surrounding atmosphere.

An air injector 40, shown here as of tubular form, has a straight part 4| which extends through aligned holes 42 formed in the resilient wings 25 and 26. As viewed in Fig. 3 the left end of tube is curved as at 43 upwardly and then to the right toward the member 30 and has an outlet mouth 44 adjacent to the lower part of the thread passage 38. This mouth faces away from the magazine and toward the open discharge end 31 of the holder member 30 and is preferably elongated in a vertical direction, see Fig. 4.

The previously mentioned hose II is pneumatically connected to that part of the tube 30 which extends to the right of wing 26, see Fig. 3, so that compressed air derived from the pump 9 is transmitted through the hose H and tube 40 and is delivered from mouth 44 in a direction away from the magazine, or toward the right as viewed in Fig. 3, between the vertical walls 3| and 32. The air delivery mouth 44 is preferably spaced slightly from the intake mouth 35 of member 33, as shown in Fig. 3, and preferably directs a jet or stream of compressed air along the lower part of passage 38.

A baffle 59 is secured as at 5| to the rear wall 32 of the thread holder member 33 and is curved outwardly away from the latter and forwardly to form a space 52 aligned. with passage 38 and readily accessible from the front of the loom.

A clamping means, such as a bolt 55, passes through aligned holes 53 in the wings 25 and 26 of the carrier and has a head 58 at one end thereof and a winged nut 59 at the other end thereof. When the tube 40 is placed in the position it is to occupy the wing nut is tightened so that the resilient arms 25 and 26 can grip the straight part 4! of tube 43 to hold the latter in substantially the position shown in Fig. 3. A stream of air issuing from mouth 44 will travel along the lower part of the passage 38 and draw air into said passage through the open end 36 thereof and also through the thread slot 35. When the weft ends of the reserve bobbins are in the thread holder as suggested 'in Fig. 3 the stream of air will tend to draw them to the right to keep them taut.

In operation, the weft ends enter mouth 36 and extend through the passage 33, the front group Wi of weft ends being in the front part of the passage 38 adjacent to wall 3| and the rear group W2 being in the rear part of the passage adjacent to wall 32. The jet of air issuing from mouth 44 enters the passage 38 and tensions the weft ends on the front and back sides of the passage and being between the groups WI and W2 tends to keep the groups separated.

When fresh bobbins are placed in the magazine their weft ends will be moved downwardly over the thread holder member 33 and directed into the outer end 63 of the thread slot 35, after which they can be released. These threads if connected to bobbins placed in the upper part of the magazine may extend out of the thread slot 35 at some point between its ends upwardly toward the top of the magazine. The blast of air moving through passage 38 will have the effect of drawing air downwardly through slot 35 into the passage and exert a force on these threads tending to draw them toward the interior of member 30. If this force is not enough to draw the threads completely into passage 38 the operator may move his finger along the top of member 30 toward the magazine to move the threads from the full line to the dotted line positions shown in Figs. 8 and 9. When this is done those threads or weft ends connected to bobbins placed in the rear part of the magazine will extend toward the rear wall 32, while the threads corresponding to bobbins in the front part of the magazine will be drawn toward the front wall 31.

The distribution of the weft ends along the walls 31 and 32 is indicated in Fig. 4, and it will be apparent that a single stream of air is able to tension two groups of threads which are located on opposite sides of the stream. The

freshly inserted weft ends will be blown out of the open end or discharge mouth 3'! of the holder member into space 52 toward the bafiie ill, but the latter will break the force of the stream of air and permit the threads tofall by gravity to become entangled with each other as The thread which is thus cut at the selvage will ordinarily be somewhat lower than the other threads in the thread holder, but the'vertical angular adjustment permitted by bolt 2| will enablethe thread holder'member 38 to be in such angular position that the left hand part of floor 33 as viewed in Fig. 3 will be slightly below this thread so that air can get underit. Bolt 2| serves as a horizontal axis transverse of passage 38 around which the member 36 and parts connected to it can be adjusted.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth simple means by'which the weft ends extending from reserve bobbins in a weft replenishing loom may be inserted into a pneumatic thread holder. The thread holder includes an air injector and means, such as the tube 36, providing a preferably elongated air and thread passage through which air issuing from the mouth 44 is directed. The slotextends in the direction of the length of the passage 38 and provides a pathway to permit entry of weft ends in a downward direction into the passage 38. The baflle 50 is rearward of the mouth 31 so that the threads may be inserted by a simple downward motion through space 52 without interference, on the part of. the baffle. This latter feature, while convenient as set forth specifically herein, is not essential, since the baffle can break the force of the air stream without necessarily being made. as shown. Also, the reserve bobbins from the magazine have their weft ends divided into the groups which extend along the front and back of the air and thread passage 38 and are tensioned by a single stream of air. By this arrangement weft ends can be accommodated in the tubular member 30 and the latter can be of relatively small cross section. Furthermore, the jet of air tends to keep the groups WI and W2 of weft ends in member 3|] separated from each other so that when a thread from either group is pneumatically removed subsequent to cutting at the selvage it will not be entangled with threads of the other group in member 30.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. In pneumatic thread holder means for a weft replenishing loom provided with a magazine to hold reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, means defining an air and thread passage intowhich said weft ends extend open at the opposite ends thereof and extending generally in a horizontal direction toward and away from the magazine, an air injector to introduce a stream of compressed air into the open end of said passage adjacent to the magazine in a direction away from the magazine toward the other open end of the passage, and said means having therein a thread slot extending in the direction of the length of said passage communicating with the open ends of said passage and opening into the latter and affording a pathway for the introduction of weft ends extending from the magazine into said passage.

2. The thread holder means set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot extends along the top of said passage and opens downwardly into said passage to enable weft ends above said means to be inserted into said passage by downward motion.

3. The thread holder means set forth in claim '1 wherein said slot extends along one part of said passage and the injector introduces said stream of air into said passage along the opposite part thereof, the stream of air in said passage tending to draw air through said slot into said passage to move a weft end in said slot toward said passage. I

4. The thread holder means set forth in claim lwherein said slot extends along the upper side ofsaid passage and the injector introduces said stream of air substantially horizontally into the lower part 'of said passage.

5. The thread holder means set forth in claim 1 wherein said ends of the passage and said slot are open to the surrounding atmosphere and weft ends entering said passage through said slot'are blown out of said other open end of the passage by said stream of air.

6. The thread holder means set forth in claim 1 wherein said means is a tube having horizontally spaced substantially vertical walls and said thread slot is intermediate said walls.

, 7 The thread holder means set forth in claim tally spaced substantially vertical walls and said injector is effective to direct a jet of air between said vertical walls.

8. The thread holder means set forth in claim 1 wherein a baflle beyond said other end of the passage extends into the path of the stream of air to break the force of said stream beyond said passage to permit said weft ends to fall by gravity from said other end of the passage.

' 9. The thread holder set forth in claim 8 wherein said baflle is curved forwardly with rejspect to the loom and defines with said means a forwardly opening space to enable weft ends being introduced into said thread slot adjacent to 'said other'end of said passage to be moved downwardly and forwardly of said bafiie.

10. In pneumatic thread holder means for a weft replenishing loom provided with a magazine to hold reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, means defining an air and thread passage to receive said weft ends having an axis extending generally in a direction toward and away from the magazine, the weft ends in the passage being located in groups on opposite sides of said axis, and an air injector to introduce a jet of compressed air into said passage in a direction away from said magazine effective to tension the weft ends in said groups on opposite sides of said axis.

11. The pneumatic thread holder set forth in claim 10 wherein the air injector is located to introduce said jet of compressed air into said passage between said groups of weft ends and said jet tends to keep the groups separated from each other.

12. In pneumatic thread holder means for a weft replenishing loom provided with a magazine to hold reserve bobbins from which two horizontally spaced groups of weft ends extend, means defining an air and thread passage to receive said weft ends extending generally in a direction toward and away from the magazine and having two horizontally spaced walls, one wall for each group of weft ends, and an air injector to introduce compressed air into said passage between said walls in a direction away from said magazine eifective to tension the weft ends of both of said groups.

13. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, means defining an air and thread passage extending in a direction toward and away from said bobbins and having an intake mouth adjacent to said bobbins, said means having front and back walls and said weft ends being divided into two groups one of which enters said mouth adjacent to the front wall and the other group of which enters said mouth adjacent to the back wall, and a single air injector means to introduce compressed air through said intake mouth into said passage in a direction away from said bobbins between said walls effective to tension the weft ends in both of said groups.

14. In pneumatic thread holder means for a weft replenishing loom having a magazine to hold reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend in a direction away from the magazine, means defining an air and thread passage extending in a direction away from the magazine and having an intake mouth adjacent to the magazine and having walls extending along said passage on opposite sides of the latter, certain of the wefts ends being adjacent to one of said walls and other of the weft ends being adjacent to the other wall, and an air injector to introduce compressed air through said intake mouth into said passage in a direction away from the magazine effective to tension the weft ends adjacent said walls.

15. In a pneumatic thread holder for a weft replenishing loom having a magazine to hold a plurality of reserve bobbins the axes of which are substantially horizontal and parallel and from which weft ends extend, certain of said bobbins being in the forward part of the magazine and other of the bobbins being in the rear part of the magazine, the weft ends of said certain bobbins being forward of the weft ends of said other bobbins, means defining an air and thread passage to receive said weft ends extending substantially parallel to said bobbins located intermediate the bobbins in the forward part of the magazine and the bobbins in the rear part of the magazine, the weft ends of said certain bobbins extending along the front part of said passage and the weft ends of said other bobbins extending along the rear part of said passage, and a single air injector to direct compressed air into said passage in a direction away from the magazine effective to tension the weft ends of said certain bobbins and also the weft ends of said other bobbins.

16. In pneumatic thread holder means for a weft replenishing loom provided with a magazine to hold reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, hollow means defining an air and thread passage to receive said weft ends having an axis extending generally in a direction toward and away from the magazine, a floor for said passage formed as part of said hollow means, an air injector fixed with respect to said hollow means to direct a jet of air into said passage in a direction away from said magazine effective to tension the weft ends in said passage, and means constituting a horizontal pivot transverse of said passage around which said hollow means is adjustable to vary an angular position of said axis and floor.

17. In pneumatic thread holder means for a weft replenishing loom provided with a magazine to hold reserve bobbins from which weft ends extend, hollow means defining an air and thread passage to receive said weft ends extending genorally in a direction toward and away from the magazine, carrier means secured to said hollow means provided with spaced resilient wings each having a hole therein, an air injector tube passing through said holes and having a mouth located to direct a jet of air away from the magazine into said passage to tension the weft ends, and clamp means effective to cause said wings to grip said injector and hold the latter fixed with respect to said hollow means.

RAYMOND F. DION.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,703,898 Payne Mar. 5, 1929 2,207,105 Payne July 9, 1940 2,360,807 Whitin Oct. 17, 19% 

